SANTA CLARA — Coach Mike Nolan wouldn’t mind a do-over on the season. But he has no regrets about the draft-day swap with New England that landed rookie tackle Joe Staley in exchange for the 49ers’ 2008

first-round draft choice.

“Joe’s played very well this year,” Nolan said Thursday. “We’re very pleased with that pick. What we would like to do over is our record.”

The 49ers drafted Staley last April with the 28th overall selection that they obtained fromNew England, which now has the 49ers’ top pick next year. If the draft were held today, the playoff-bound Patriots, who are two wins shy of a perfect season, would have the No.5 overall selection.

That could go up or down somewhat, depending on how the 49ers close out the season. They host Tampa Bay on Sunday before playing the final in Cleveland on Dec. 30.

New England (14-0) no doubt is rooting for the 49ers to lose both because the pick they obtained helps take some of the sting out of the league’s punishment in the “Spygate” case. The NFL ruled the Patriots must forfeit their first-round pick as part of the punishment for using a video camera to decipher the New York Jets’ play-calling signals.

For their part, the 49ers managed to get back into the first round by sending their 2007 second-round pick to Indianapolis in return for the Colts’ first-round pick in 2008. That would give the 49ers the 30th overall selection in April, though that is subject to change based on how the Colts do in the playoffs.

You can be sure the 49ers are rooting for whichever team faces the Colts in the postseason, and potential opponents include — appropriately enough — New England.

But Nolan said Staley, 23, established himself from the outset as a quality starter, taking over at right tackle after unseating incumbent Kwame Harris in training camp.

In Nolan’s view, Staley and fellow first-round pick Patrick Willis, who earned a trip to the Pro Bowl as a rookie linebacker, have outperformed the cost of their acquisitions.

“When we got Patrick where we got him, we thought more of Patrick on our board than the 11th-best player,” Nolan said. “It was the same thing with Joe. We thought more of him (than the 28th-best player)”

For his part, Staley said he doesn’t pay any attention to pundits second-guessing the 49ers’ draft-day move nor does he take it personally.

Staley said most of those opinions “are being made by people that really haven’t watched us. I mean, how often does like a guy from Florida watch a right tackle play for the 49ers and make a judgment? People don’t know my assignments. But I feel like I’m playing well. I’m confident I’ve been playing well.”

Nolan has said frequently that Staley has been the most consistent performer on the offensive line.

He’s had only one bad game, or more accurately, one bad half this season. That was Oct. 21, when he was beaten twice for sacks by one of the league’s premier pass rushers, defensive end Michael Strahan of the New York Giants.

During halftime of that game, Staley said he took it upon himself to play more aggressively while staying technique sound. He came back to fight Strahan to a draw.

“I think from that game on, I’ve played my best ball,” Staley said. “I keep improving and getting better every week. What I learned that day is you’ve got to play your game. You can’t let other people dictate what you’re going to do. If I’m doing things the way I know I can, I feel that nobody should be able to beat me.”

That should put him in good stead next season when the 49ers plan to move him to his natural position — left tackle, where he could anchor the team’s line for years to come.

Nolan said Staley has the attitude and physical toughness to deal with taking on the league’s elite pass rushers on a weekly basis.

“He’s very mentally tough,” Nolan said. “He does a good job but sometimes he gets a little too tough from a technique standpoint. He’ll get aggressive. Rather than wait for them to come to him and punch, he’ll go after them. But that’s a better problem than the alternative.”

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